Crossing signal



June 10 1924.

W. W. LANGE ET AL CROS SING S IGNAL Filed Nov. a, 1922 Patented June l0, 19.24.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

wALTEa W. LANGE, or sHoREwooD, AND rnnnnmcxs. LAWRIE, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

CROSSING SIGNAL.

Application tiled November 2, 1922. Serial No. 598,603.

wood and Milwaukee, res ectivel in the county of Milwaukee and ytate o Wisconsin, have invented new` and useful Improvements in Crossing Signals, of which the following is a description, reference bein had to theaccompanying drawings, whic `are a part of this specication.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in crossing si als more especially designed for safety at june- 1l tions of intersecting streets.

In that type of crossing signal comprising a dome member adapted to sink to approximately the line of the plane .of the road bed When'opposed by aload strain, considerable difficulty has been experienced in'so mounting the illuminating means as to prevent inju thereto incidental to the dome being struc .by a vehicle, and its return to normal position. f A

Having this in mind, `it is onecf` the objects of our invention to ravida illuminatA ing means for a depressib or disappearing v crossing signal domewhich, is independent of the dome to thu's avoid injury thereto4 80 incidental to the striking of the dome, and

its consequent depression, by a vehicle.

It is another object of our invention to provide a depending ardor reliector carried by the depressi le dome of a traliic signal which is adapted to telesco e over the illuminatn means mounted neath of, whereby the rays of 1i ht from the illuminomalposition projecting above the road j gli' further object of this 'invent-,ionisants With the above and other objects in view= which will appear as the description proceeds, our invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come Within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, we have sillustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of our invention con structed according to the best mode we have so far devised for the practical ap lication -of the principles thereof, and in wlliich:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a crossing signal embodying the features of our invention, parts thereof bein broken away to more clearly illustrate lbletails of construction, and

Figure 2 is a sectional view therethrough on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fi re 1.'

AReferring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeral designates acylindrical housing which is sunk 'in alwell provided for the purpose in aroadway and 6 a. depressible member Tor supporting head, preferably in the form of al wardly directed annular flange 10 on the upper edge of tlie housing which cer-operatin with a packing rin 11 on t e piston hea forms a water tig 't joint when. the

natin means are at al times reiieeted`u`p ofthe housing.A The upward' movement of 40 into; e signal dome to insure the proper', the supporting head is limited by an in- 95 visibility t ereof whether depressed or .in

45:"in the provision cfa spacing ring which, together with -the mountn within the housing member for the i uminatin means, ,f-,orms an annular channel in whic the in- .51' Iier end of the s ring normally maintaining 50 the depressible dbme in a positionabove the" road bed is mounted whereby depression'cf the dome member to compress the lspring surrounding the same will not result in the mentioned spring'becoming entangled 5,5 'with the heavier spring.

head is in its normal position toI thus prevent the elements from entering the interior of the -housin vc The to o thesupportng head is` ro- .-vided'wit a central openin 12 above w ich jis mounted a Vtranslucent ome 13 remov- 'j ably secured in place by a retaining ring 14 'said dome being preferably of a suitable color dependin on the .use to which the signal is adapte The translucent dome is .protected by a 110 guard or skeleton frame 15 which is secured to the head of the depressible'member by removable fastenings 16, the peripheral edge of said guard being of a slightly less diameter than the opening within the top of the housing. The exterior of the guard is shaped so as to form a substantialcontinuation of an upstanding bead or flange 17 formed on the top of the housing so that a vehicle wheel striking the housing is given but a slight jar, riding over bead 17, the guard 15 moving into the housing against the action of spring 7 as the wheel passes. thereover.

As the signal dome approaches full depressed position, a second heavier coil spring 18 engages the under face of top 8 to thus yieldably limit its downward-movement and at the same time support the weight of the vehicle when the dome top is s bstantially flush with the line of the plane oI the road bed.

The diameter of the opening 12 within i head 8 is substantially `equal to that of the Il()y when compressed.

dome 13 and dependlng from the opening into the interior of the housing isa shield or reflector 19 which is of a. diameter slightly greater than that of a reflector 20 fixed to a panel board 21 rigidly mounted on bottom 9, as hereinafter described. Reflector 19 is preferably secured-in place by having its upper ed e flanged laterally and confined between t e peripheral edge of dome-1 3 and that portion of head 8 surroundin 'opening 12.

Panelgboard 21 is mounted on an annular r' member 22 fixed toa boss 23 formed on ttom 9 and carries one or more lamp receiving sockets 24 which communicate with the reflector 2O and are adapted to receive electric lamps' 25. When more than one lamp 25 is employed, the reflector 20- is preferably formed with separate lamp receiving,- reflecting compartments 26 which merge together at their upper ends and are covered by a translucent member 27, the re- Hector 20 telescoping within reflector or shield 19 Awhen the dome is depressed With this construction it will be readily ap arent that the light from lamps l25 is re eeted upwardly and by reason of the flared portion 28 of reflector 19, the entire dome-13 is illuminated, rendering the same clearly visible at night.

Surroundin ring 22 is.' a slightly larger ring 29 whic fits within the spirals of spring 18 to properly center the-same, -the inner, end of spring'7 bein tween rings 2,2, boss 23 and r1ng 29 to thus prevent interference between the springs What we claim as our invention is: 1. A 'crossing signal, comprising a rigid housing adapted to be embedded in a roadway, a dome reeiproeally mounted in the v flush Withlthe line of the confined behousing, means normally urging the dome to a position above the roadway, said dome being yieldable to sink approximately to the line of the plane' of the road bed, a lam mounted in said housing, a reflector for directing the rays of light from said lamp upwardly, and a Shield depending from Said dome and adapted to telescope over said reflector when the dome is depressed whereby the rays of light from said lamp are reflected into the interior of the dome to illuminate the same.

2. A crossing Si pressible member a a d-to be substantially vertically reciprocal y mounted in a well in a roadway, means normally urgin said depressible member to'4 a position substantiall flush with the line of the plane of the roa bed, said depressible member having a central opening therein communicating with said well, a dome carried by said depressible' member and covering the opening therein and ada ted to be normally positioned above the roa way, a reflecting shield depending from said de ressible member opening into the well,an illuminating means mounted in said Well, the rays of light from said illuminatin means being directed ino the interior of said dome to illuminate the same.

3.A crossing si nal, comprising a depressible member a apted to be substantially vertically reciprocally mounted in a well in a roadway, means normally urging said depressible member to a position substantially lane of the road bed, said depressible mem er having a central opening therein communicating with said well, a dome carried by said depressible member and covering the opening therein and adapted to be normally positioned above the roa Wa a reflector shield depending from said epressible member opening'into the well, a reflector mounted in said well, and a lamp mounted in said reflector, said reflector throwin the rays of said lamp through said shie d into the interior of the dome to illuminate the same and said shield telesco ing over said reflector when the depressibrle member is moved into the interior of the Well. i

4. A crossing -signal, comprisin a depressible member adapted to be reclprocally mounted vin a -well provided in a roadway,l

means normally urging said depressible member to a position substantially flush with the line of the plane of the road bed, said depressible member having an openin therein, a reflector shield extended throu said o ening into the interior of said we flan e means'on the upper end of said -shie d en aging the marginal portion of the depressib e member surrounding said opening, a dome member carried bythe depressible 4member and covering said opening, the peripheral edge of said dome member enal, comprising a degaging the flange of said shield to conne the same between it and the marginal or tion of the depressible member surroun ing said opening, means for securing the dome to said depressible member, and illuminating means mounted in Said Well and arranged to protect its rays of light through Said shield into the dome to illuminate the same.

5. A crossing signal, comprising a housing adapted to be embedded in a roadway, a depressible member reciprocally mounted in said housing, a spring in said housing and tending to normally yieldably urge said depressible member to a position sdbstantially flush with the line of the plane of the road bed, a dome mounted on said depressible member and normally projected above the line of the plane of the road bed, said dome being movable to a position substantially approximately on a line with the lane of the road bed when opposed by loa strain, a second spring adapted to exert its force to yieldably oppose depressing movement of said member a fter a predetermined movement into thehousing, and means for centering and maintaining said sprin s in spaced relation with respect to each oter.

In testimony whereof We ax our signa.- tures. A

WALTER` W. LANGE. FREDERICK S. LAWRIE. 

